Carpenters: Kitchen Drawer "Jumps" Track

In My Humble Opinion
1

Maybe some Dopers are into woodworking or cabinet making and might have an idea: One of our kitchen drawers will not glide smoothly on its track. When you pull out the drawer, after a few inches, it starts angling upwards and jams (because there is no clearance, of course). The track is in good condition and tight - both on the left and right sides AND both in the cabinet and along the length of the drawer. So, everything seems fine. All screws are tight. There are brads at the bottom of the drawer (on the backside), but these are tight, too. Nothing is obviously out of whack!

NOTE: There are pots and pans in the cabinet immediately below the drawer in question, but they are not piled so high as to interfere with the drawer. And, I should mention that no other kitchen drawer is doing this.

Still what is going on here? Any suggestions of things to check or tweak?

2

It sounds like all 4 rails (2 on the drawer, 2 on the walls) are not parallel with each other. Some measurements should clear that up. Might need spacers on one corner.

3

Could be a foreign object has fallen in the track on one side, up which
the wheel is attempting to roll, causing said jammage.

4

… and I hope you like jammage, too! :notes:

5

I ain’t a cabinet maker, but you’d be surprised at what movers are asked to do in the course of the job.

What sort of glides do you have?
Is it this style? (links to a home depot page )

There are many different styles of glides used for kitchen and bath drawers and a good answer will depend on the hardware installed.

ETA … in part, a good answer will depend in part on the hardware

6

Is this something that started recently, or was this drawer bad from go?

Can you remove the drawer entirely and inspect the rails/guides for any obstructions or foreign objects, debris, paint drips, anything like that?

7

If we could see a picture of drawer rails it would help a lot. I have no idea what kind of rails you have, but as stated previously, they are clearly not aligned properly or tightly secured.

8

Similar to my thought before I read the thread. Guessed that the rails in the cabinet are not spaced the same distance apart; that will cause a roller on one side or the other to try jump out.

OP is this a new issue, or has it always done that?

9

Thanks, all for your ideas… At first, the bottom was falling out making the drawer hard to open and close. Then, I found a plastic wheel was missing to aid in gliding along the track.

10

Plastic wheel sounds like they are on what we generically call ‘kitchen slides’. These are a simple older 2 piece design with two tracks each with a wheel that the other rides on. Easy to find at your local Home Depot.

If you can get the drawer most of the way out, you tip it up and you should be able to just lift it out. The slides just scew on to the drawer box and cabinet carcass. Maybe four screws on each piece.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/slides/undermount/46591-standard-kitchen-slides